CAT/C/PRT/CO/5-6 criteria for decisions on isolation. The practice of renewing and, as such, prolonging disciplinary sanctions of solitary confinement should be strictly prohibited; (b) Ensure that solitary confinement is never applied to juveniles in conflict with the law or to persons with psychosocial disabilities; (c) Reduce the maximum duration of provisional isolation and deduct the time spent therein from the maximum period of solitary confinement; (d) Ensure that the detainee’s physical and mental condition is regularly monitored by qualified medical personnel throughout the period of solitary confinement; and (e) Increase the level of meaningful social contact for detainees while in solitary confinement. Rendition flights 13. While welcoming the criminal investigation undertaken into the State party’s alleged involvement in extraordinary renditions in the context of its international cooperation in countering terrorism, the Committee notes the State party’s clarification in the State report that the investigation has been closed on the grounds of insufficient evidence, despite reports on the State party’s alleged cooperation in a rendition and secret detention programme (arts. 2, 3, 12 and 16). The Committee encourages the State party to continue its investigations, if further information comes to light, into allegations of the State party’s involvement in a rendition programme and of the use of the State party’s airports and airspace by flights involved in “extraordinary rendition”, and bring to light the facts surrounding these allegations. The Committee reminds the State party that the transfer and refoulement of persons, when there are substantial grounds for believing that these persons would be at risk of being subjected to torture, is in itself a violation of article 3 of the Convention. Reception conditions of asylum seekers 14. The Committee notes that the number of asylum applications has increased in recent years, from 140 applications in 2009 to 369 applications received to date in 2013. It also notes that the Refugee Reception Centre, designed to accommodate asylum seekers in the admissibility phase, during which there is no entitlement to work, suffers from overcrowding (arts. 3, 11 and 16). The State party should ensure the timely processing of refugee claims, both in the special procedure at the border as well as in the regular procedure, in order to reduce the waiting time of asylum seekers in reception centres. The State party should also take action to increase the accommodation capacity of the reception centres, in order to alleviate the current overcrowding, and ensure that adequate medical care, as well as adequate supplies of, inter alia, food, water and personal hygiene items, are always provided. Electrical discharge weapons 15. The Committee recalls its previous recommendation (CAT/C/PRT/CO/4, para. 14) and expresses its deep concern at instances where electrical discharge weapons (“Taser X26”) were disproportionally used by police and prison officials, for example, in 2010 by the Prison Security Intervention Group at Paços de Ferreira prison (arts. 2 and 16). The State party should ensure that electrical discharge weapons are used exclusively in extreme and limited situations where there is a real and immediate threat to life or risk of serious injury, as a substitute for lethal weapons, and by trained law 6